JERRY YANG- CHIEF YAHOO

JERRY YANG- CHIEF YAHOO

Jerry Yang was born on November 6, 1968 in Taipei, Taiwan. He is a Chinese American entrepreneur and the co-founder of Yahoo! Inc. His father died when Yang was two. At the age of 8, he immigrated to California with his mother and brother. He is an Electrical Engineer from Stanford University.
During his Engineering studies, he co-created a website with David Filo, named Yahoo!. Together they co-founded Yahoo! Inc. in April, 1995.
Yahoo! started as a web portal, now, one of the leading internet brands and is most trafficked.
Yang is married to Akiko Yamazaki, born in Costa Rica. She is an Industrial Engineer. Yang called himself a Chief Yahoo. On November 17, 2008, The Wallstreet Journal reported that Jerry Yang would soon be replaced. On January 13, 2009, Carol Bartz replaced Yang as the new CEO of Yahoo!
Yang is currently on the Board of Directors of Alibaba, the Asian Pacific Fund, Cisco and Yahoo! Japan. His net worth is US $ 2.3 million.

SIR RICHARD BRANSON

SIR RICHARD BRANSON

Sir Richard Branson is the famous business tycoon of U.K and the founder of Virgin Airlines. He is the chairman of virgin group. He launched virgin mobile brand which is India’s first nation-wide youth focused mobile service.

Richard Branson was a born entrepreneur. He showed this quality from his very teenage. Richard Branson was born in 1950, and was educated at Stowe School, where he established a national magazine called Student at the age of 16 and started a Student Advisory Centre at the age of 17 to help young people. In 1970 he founded Virgin as a mail order record retailer and after that he opened a record shop in Oxford Street, London.



Today, Virgin is one of the world's most recognized and respected brands. It has expanded itself into international retail, air travel, mobile, financial, retail, music, rail, resorts and leisure, space travel, and clean fuels through more than 200 companies’ worldwide. It has near about 50,000 people employed in 29 countries. Its total revenue around in 2006
exceeded c£5 billion (US$10 billion).
Virgin Atlantic Airways that was formed in 1984, is now the second largest British international airline operating a fleet of Boeing 747 and Airbus A340 aircraft. The airline is founded on the concept of offering a competitive and high quality service to Upper Class, Premium and Economy . Virgin Atlantic became the first commercial airline to fly a 747 on biofuel.




Richard believes that all businesses, especially those who are involved in transportation, energy and particularly fossil fuels like coal must develop environment friendly business strategies focusing to replace traditional energy with energy coming from renewable sources. This commitment is estimated to be $3 billion over the next ten years.
In February 2007, Richard announced a $25 million prize to encourage a viable technology that resulted in the net removal of anthropogenic, atmospheric greenhouse gases. In July 2007, on his and Nelson Mandela’s birthday, he joined Nelson Mandela, Graça Machel, and
Desmond Tutu and announced the formation of the Elders, a group of leaders to contribute their wisdom, independent leadership and integrity to tackle some of the world’s toughest problems.

In December 1999 Richard Branson was awarded a knighthood in the Queen’s millennium New Years honours list for “services to entrepreneurship”.

Dhirubhai H. Ambani

Dhirubhai H. Ambani
Founder Chairman, Reliance Industries Limited, India
December 28, 1932 - July 6, 2002
Major Group Companies: Reliance Industries Limited, India's largest private sector company.

Birthplace: Chorwad, village in Saurashtra (Gujarat), India
Father's Name: Hirachand Govardhandas Ambani
Mother's Name: Jamunaben Hirachand Ambani
Career:
At the age of 17 went to Aden (now part of Yemen) and worked for A. Besse & Co. Ltd., the sole selling distributor of Shell products. In the year 1958 returned to Mumbai and started his first company, Reliance Commercial Corporation, a commodity trading and export house. In the year 1966, as a first step in Reliance's highly successful strategy of backward integration, he started the textile mill in Naroda, Ahmedabad. In the year 1975, a technical team from the World Bank certified that the Reliance textile plant was "excellent by developed country standards." In the year 1977, the company went public. Credited with a number of financial innovations in the Indian capital markets. Today, the Reliance Group has one of the largest family of shareholders in the world. With an investment of over Rs 36,000 crore (US$ 9 billion) in petroleum refining, petrochemicals, power generation, telecommunication services and a port terminal in a three-year time frame, has steered the Reliance Group to its current status as India's leading textiles-petroleum-petrochemicals-power-telecom player. Achievements: Voted India's 'Top Businessman' in the 'Best of India' poll conducted by Zee News, August 2003. Petrotech Society conferred posthumously the 'Lifetime Achievement Award' for his outstanding contribution to Downstream Petroleum Industry in India, January 2003. Rated as one of 'India's Most Admired CEOs' for the fourth consecutive year in the Business Barons - Taylor Nelson Sofres - Mode Survey, July 2002. Conferred the 'Lifetime Achievement Award' by India HRD Congress, February 2002. Conferred 'The Economic Times Award for Corporate Excellence for Lifetime Achievement', August 2001. Felicitated by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai with a citation at a civic reception, December 2000. Conferred the 'Man of the Century' award by Chemtech Foundation and Chemical Engineering World in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the growth and development of the chemical industry in India, November 2000. Conferred the 'Indian Entrepreneur of the 20th Century' award by FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industries), for his meticulous scripting of one of the most remarkable stories of business endeavour of the 20th century, March 2000. Thrice (in the years 2000, 1998 and 1996) nominated as one of the 'Power 50 - the most powerful people in Asia' by Asiaweek magazine. Voted as the most admired Indian of the millennium in the field of Business & Economics in 'Legends - A Celebration of Excellence' poll audited by Ernst & Young for Zee Network, January 2000. Voted as 'Creator of Wealth' of the Century in The Times of India poll, January 2000. Chosen as one of the three 'makers of equity' by India Today in their special millennium issue entitled '100 People Who Shaped India in the 20th Century', January 2000. Chosen by the Indian Merchants' Chamber as "An Outstanding Visionary of the 20th Century" in recognition of his unique achievements and contribution in the development of industry and capital markets in India, December 1999. Voted as 'Indian Businessman of the Century' in Business Barons Global Multimedia Poll, December 1999. Amongst 'The Power 50 - India's 50 most powerful decision-makers in Politics, Business & Finance', Business Barons, August 1999. Declared 'Most Admired Indian Business Leader' by The Times of India, Indiatimes.com poll, July 1999. The only Indian industrialist in 'Business Hall of Fame' in Asiaweek, October 1998. Awarded the Dean's Medal by The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, for setting an outstanding example of leadership, June 1998. Chosen as 'Star of Asia' by Business Week, USA, June 1998. Leading business magazine Business Barons placed him in its list of 'India's 25 Most Influential Business and Financial Leaders', June 1998. Awarded the Companion Membership of the Textile Institute, UK, an award which is limited to 50 living members who have "substantially advanced the general interests of the industries based on fibres", 1994.




Spirit of Shri Dhirubhai H. Ambani
Quotes at various forums
Only when you dream it you can do it."
•"Think big, think fast, think ahead. Ideas are no one's monopoly"
•"Our dreams have to be bigger. Our ambitions higher. Our commitment deeper. And our efforts greater. This is my dream for Reliance and for India."
•"You do not require an invitation to make profits."
•"If you work with determination and with perfection, success will follow."
•"Pursue your goals even in the face of difficulties, and convert adversities into opportunities."
•"Give the youth a proper environment. Motivate them. Extend them the support they need. Each one of them has infinite source of energy. They will deliver."
•"Between my past, the present and the future, there is one common factor: Relationship and Trust. This is the foundation of our growth"
•"We bet on people."
•"Meeting the deadlines is not good enough, beating the deadlines is my expectation."
•"Don't give up, courage is my conviction."







Achievements / Awards for Mr Dhirubhai H. Ambani
Title
Date
The Economic Times - Lifetime Achievement Award
10.08.2001
TNS-Mode Survey - India's Most Admired CEO
26.07.1999
Chemtech Foundation - Man of the Century Award
08.11.2000
FICCI – Indian Entrepreneur of the 20th Century Award
24.03.2000
Asia Week - Dhirubhai among Asia's 50 most powerful people The Excerpt from Asia Week 1998The Excerpt from Asia Week 2000
29.05.199826.05.2000
The Times of India - Dhirubhai Ambani voted "Creator of Wealth" of the Century
08.01.2000
Business Baron - Dhirubhai Ambani voted "Indian Businessman of the Century" The complete cover story
06.12.199931.10.1999
Dhirubhai Ambani in Asia Week Hall of Fame The cover story
16.10.1998
Wharton's Dean Medal for Dhirubhai Ambani
15.06.1998
Business Week - Dhirubhai Ambani one of "The Stars of Asia"The complete cover story
29.06.1998
Business India - Dhirubhai Ambani, Businessman of the Year 1993
31.10.1999

D

K.P.Singh

Born: August 15, 1931Achievement: Chairman of DLF Group; Recipient of the 'Delhi Ratna' Award for his valuable contribution to Delhi K.P. Singh is the Chairman of DLF Group and can be christened as the real estate baron of India. DLF has a strong leadership presence in Indian real estate industry and the company is credited with developing the modern township of Gurgaon. K.P. Singh (Kushal Pal Singh) was born on August 15, 1931 at Bulandshahar in Uttar Pradesh. After graduating in Science from Meerut College, he went to UK to study Aeronautical Engineering. While pursuing engineering in UK, K.P. Singh was selected to the prestigious Indian Army, by British Officers Services Selection Board, UK. He joined the Indian Military Academy at Dehradun and was later on commissioned into The Deccan Horse-a renowned cavalry regiment of The Indian Army. In 1960, K.P. Singh joined American Universal Electric Company, a joint venture between Universal Electric Company of Owosso, Michigan and his family. Thereafter, K.P. Singh promoted another company, i.e. Willard India Limited in collaboration with ESB inc of Philadelphia for manufacturing automatic and industrial batteries in India and became its Managing Director. In 1979, K.P. Singh joined DLF Universal Limited. When American Universal Company merged with DLF Universal Limited, K.P. Singh became the Managing Director of the new company. K.P. Singh had the vision to buy land in Gurgaon, which was then a barren village on the outskirts of Delhi. He had the foresight to saw the untapped potential of the place and today Gurgaon is one of the real-estate hotspots of the country. Presently, DLF has 100 million square feet under development in residential, commercial and retail projects all over the country.Kushal Pal Singh also held a number of professional positions in India. He was the President of the ASSOCHAM (Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India) and the PHD Chambers of Commerce & Industry. K.P. Singh is also the recipient of the 'Delhi Ratna' Award for his valuable contribution to Delhi.

Indian Business Tycoon Mukesh Ambani

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani is the Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries Limited, India’s Largest Private Sector Company. He is the elder son of the legendry businessman late Dhirubhai Ambani. Mukesh Ambani has the following business interests: Petrochemicals, Petroleum Refining and Marketing, Oil and Gas exploration and production, Textiles, Retail and SEZs. Forbes (2009) list of the world’s billionaires named him the richest man in India and the 7th richest man in the world, having a net worth of $ 19.5 Billion.
Mukesh Ambani was born on April 19, Year 1957. He studied at Abaay Morischa School in Mumbai. He completed his chemical engineering from University of Mumbai. He went to Stanford University in the US for his Masters in Business Administration (MBA), but did not complete the course as he had to come back to join the family business.
In the year 1981 Mukesh Ambani joined Reliance. He was the key man at the time of the company’s backward integration from textiles into polyester fibres, and then into petrochemicals. He established a number of world class manufacturing facilities to take the company’s petrochemical manufacturing capabilities to a new level. Mukesh Ambani conceptualized and created the largest grassroots petroleum refinery in the world at Jamnagar, Gujrat, India. The refinery has a capacity of 33 million tonnes per year.
Mukesh Ambani helped to set up one of the world’s leading tele communications Companies, Reliance Communications, earlier known as Reliance Infocom. Reliance Communications went to younger brother Anil Ambani of ADAG, after the business empire got split in the year 2005.
Mukesh Ambani entered into the organized retail sector with Reliance Retail, opening hundreds of stores across several states. The stores serve diverse consumer needs and operate under various names such as Reliance Fresh, Reliance Mart and Reliance Digital.
Mukesh Ambani owns the Indian Premier League (IPL) Cricket Team, Mumbai Indians. He brought the team for $111.9 million.
Mukesh Ambani gifted his Wife Nita Ambani a $60 million Airbus Plane on her 44th birthday. The customized jet had a master bedroom, fancy showers, game consoles, music systems, satellite TV, and wireless communication.
Mukesh Ambani is building a 27 story house called Antilla, at Altamount Road, Mumbai. The 400000 square feet home will have 6 levels of car parking, 3 helipads, 4 levels of open gardens, 2 levels of health club, home theatre, swimming pools, a ball room with the ceiling covered with crystal chandeliers, 9 elevators, an ice room and much more. The cost of the new home may touch $ 2 billion.

Lakshmi Mittal

Steel king



Name : Lakshmi Mittal
Gender : Male
Date of birth : Jun 15, 1950
Age: 58
City : Sadulpur
State/Region : Rajasthan
Country : India

Net Worth: $19.3 bil
Fortune: inherited and growing
Source: steel
Country Of Citizenship:India
Residence: London
Industry: Steel
Education: St Xavier's College Calcutta,
Bachelor of Arts / Science,
Marital Status: married, 2 children


Lakshmi Mittal has become something of a cult figure in the global steel industry. His company Mittal Steel is the largest steel maker in the world. After the recent merger between Mittal Steel and Arcelor which raged a big debate throughout the Europe, Laxmi Mittal current controls 10% of the total steel production and the combined entity that has come into force post-merger is three times the size of its nearest competitors.
Lakshmi Niwas Mittal was born on June 15, 1950 at Sadulpur, in Churu district of Rajasthan, in a poor family. The extended family of 20 lived on bare concrete floors, slept on rope beds and cooked on an open fire in the brickyard in a house built by his grandfather. Laxmi Mittal belongs to Marwari Aggarwal caste and his grandfather worked for the Tarachand Ghanshyam Das firm, one of the leading Marwari industrial firms of pre-independence India.
The family later on moved to Kolkata where his father Mohan Mittal became a partner in a steel company. Lakshmi Mittal graduated from St. Xaviers in Kolkata with a commerce degree in 1969. He began his career working in the family's steelmaking business in India and in 1976, Lakshmi Mittal founded Mittal Steel Company. He split from his father and two younger brothers in 1994 and took the international arm, with interests in Indonesia and Trinidad and Tobago, while the rest of the family kept the domestic Indian business. In the last few years Mittal Steel has made a number of acquisitions, buying up a network of steel producers in former communist countries including Kazakhstan, Romania and Ukraine, and pushing into the U.S. in 2004 with the $4.5 billion purchase of International Steel Group. Today, Mittal Steel is the only truly global steel producer in the world with operations on 14 countries, spanning 4 continents.
Lakshmi Mittal is also known for his opulence. In 2003, he acquired the Kensington mansion, said to be the world's most expensive home, from Formula One racing's Bernie Ecclestone for £70 million ($128 million). His daughter Vanisha's $50 million wedding bash is touted as the most expensive wedding of the 20th century.
In March 2006, Lakshmi Mittal was listed as the third wealthiest person in the world after Bill Gates and Warren Buffet by Forbes Magazine.
Mittal has received accolades for his achievements. In 1996, he was awarded the title 'Steel maker of the Year' by New Steel Magazine in the USA, and he received the Eighth Honorary Willy Korf Steel Vision Award, the highest recognition for world wide achievement in the steel industry in June 1998. The award was presented by the American Metal Market, a specialised publication, and Paine Weber's World Steel Dynamics in New York., for outstanding vision, entrepreneurship, leadership and success in global steel development, from the American Metal Market and Paine Weber's World Steel Dynamics. In 2004, he was awarded the 'European Business man of the year' by Fortune Magazine. Mittal is an active philanthropist and a member of various trusts.

Lakshmi Mittal Buying London's Costliest House For Son

The property on Palace Greens, one of the most expensive houses in the world is going to be purchased by steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal for his son Aditya. The London mansion is going to be purchased by the ArcelorMittal chairman for his only son in a record 117 million pounds ($230 million). The property is close to Kensington Palace Gardens, where the steel tycoon himself lives.
Lakshmi Mittal’s family, the richest man of Britain is known to have approached for the house, which is next to the Israeli embassy. He is believed to be close to exchanging contracts with owner Noam Gottesman, a US born financier. The American born hedge fund magnate is believed to have a fortune of 460 million pounds.
Stephen Holmes of the London property agent Savills remarked that there are just twenty properties of with that view of Kensington Palace, and people queue up to lay their hands on them. Mr. Lakshmi Mittal is the owner and chairman of world’s biggest steel manufacturing company ArcelorMittal, which is worth 27.7 billion pounds.



Motivational Quotes by Indian Billionaire Lakshmi Mittal

“Everyone experiences tough times, it is a measure of your determination and dedication how you deal with them and how you can come through them”.-Lakshmi Mittal


“Always think outside the box and embrace opportunities that appear, wherever they might be.”

“When people can see which direction the leaders are going in it becomes easier to motivate them.”

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs



Steve Jobs is the co-founder and CEO of Apple and Pixar.

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” -Steve Jobs


Early Life

Steve Jobs was born on the 24th of February 1955 in San Francisco, where he was adopted by the Jobs family. He did his schooling in Cupertino, California and during high school he started attending lectures at Hewlett Packard Company in Palo Alto. Jobs was hired there during summer, and thats when he met Steve Wozniak. After graduation he joined Reed College, Portland but two years later, he dropped out after just one semester. Later he returned home and started attending meetings held by the Homebrew Computer Club with Steve Wozniak. Soon he started working with Atari, a video game maker. Steve and Wozniak went into business, producing 'blue boxes', which were illegal and enabled free long distance telephone calls.

Career

Fascinated by spirituality, Jobs saved money and traveled to India, in search for enlightenment. Later he returned home and began working for Atari again, along with Wozniak.
In 1976, Jobs and Wozniak founded Apple Computer Company, named after Jobs' favorite fruit, that produced home PCs, mostly based on Wozniak's expertise with computer electronics. Their first computer was called Apple I, and was followed later by Apple II, which was quite a hit. In 1980, at the time of launch of Apple III, Apple Computer Co became a publicly traded company.
To encourage the marketability of Apple, Jobs managed to convince John Sculley from Pepsi Co to become Apple's CEO. Apple Computer Co released its first graphical user interfaced computer, called Macintosh in 1984, which was a huge leap for Apple computers at that time.
Jobs charismatic leadership had greatly benefited Apple, but his hot temper and inconsistent behavior led to much led to much tension in the company. There was as a result, a power feud in 1985, at the end of which, Jobs was stripped off much of his responsibilities in the company, but the board of directors. After a while, Jobs resigned as chairman of Apple and later founded another company called Next Computers. His new company went on to produce an aesthetically pleasing, technologically superior workstation called The Cube. But this workstation was cost prohibitive and eventually, Jobs shifted his focused to software, which he believed would be the field of the next big technological breakthrough. But two huge implications of Next were that, its software would later be used for writing the first World Wide Web, and second, the NeXTSTEP operating system that was being created at Next, would eventually bring to Apple Computers, a very efficient, advanced operating system.
In 1996, with Apple purchasing Next, Steve was brought back to Apple as its CEO. His first objective was to bring the company back to profitability, for which he terminate several inefficient projects. Under his leadership and with the launch of iMac line of computers, Apple’s profits returned. Elegant, refreshing designs of the iMacs, backed by user friendly software, increased Apples appeal. Apple entered other consumer electronics fields, such as portable music players with their iPods, digital music distribution through iTunes and even mobile phones with iPhones.
Jobs purchased Lucasfilms computer graphics division for $10 million which he renamed Pixar, in 1986. Pixar began creating animated movies and struck a deal with Walt Disney, which agreed to co finance and distribute the movies. In 1995 Pixar's first movie, Toy Story was released and went on to become a box office hit. It was followed by other successful hits such as such- A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles.

Honors

Steve Jobs, along with Steve Wozniak, was awarded the National Medal Technology from President Ronald Reagan in 1985. They were the first people to receive the honor.

In its November issue, Fortune Magazine named Jobs as the most powerful person in business.

In December of 2007, Californian Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger inducted Steve Jobs into the California Hall of Fame.

Achievement

The Co-Founder and CEO of Apple Computers and the Pixar animation studio, Steve Jobs ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. At age 20, Jobs founded Apple in his parents garage with $1,300 he raised by selling his old Volkswagen and his parents' calculator. Today, Apple leads the industry in innovation with its award-winning desktop and notebook computers, OS X operating system, and with leading consumer and professional software applications. Apple is also leading the digital music revolution with its iPod portable music players and iTunes online music store. Jobs's animation venture, Pixar, has created some of the most successful and beloved animated films of all time: Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo and The Incredibles. In 2006, Pixar merged with The Walt Disney Company in a $7.4 billion deal that made Steve Jobs the largest individual shareholder in Disney. Now one of the established leaders of American industry, Steve Jobs was still a mischievous 26-year old iconoclast when he addressed the Academy of Achievement in 1982.

Leadership Experience

Steve Jobs is responsible for building Apple Computer twice, as well as for rescuing Pixar Animation Studios and turning it into one of the world's most successful motion picture studios. He also built NeXT Computer, a good idea that did not catch on. He was a hands-on manager, who studied even the minutest details of his products, with the heart and eye of an artist. His insistence on high-quality, good-looking products struck a chord with many people who appreciated the beauty of Apple products, resulting in such fabulous successes as the Macintosh computer and the iPod portable music system.

While Jobs was a persuasive and charismatic evangelist for Apple, some of his employees from that time had described him as an erratic and tempestuous manager. Fortune once noted that he "is considered one of Silicon Valley's leading egomaniacs”. But since his second coming to Apple his management style has radically changed from what it was in 1985. In fact, he seems to relish other people's ideas; perhaps his work at Pixar has improved his ability to work with the creative people. He wisely surrounds himself with top-notch executives in all the key corporate positions. He has transformed the corporate culture into one in which employees wanted to come to work and have a mission to change the world for the better. Moreover, Steve Jobs brought the fun back into tinkering with electronics.




Quotations by STEVE JOBS

“A lot of companies have chosen to downsize, and maybe that was the right thing for them. We chose a different path. Our belief was that if we kept putting great products in front of customers, they would continue to open their wallets.”

“Almost everything--all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure--these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart”.

“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected.”

“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”

Bill Gates

Founder, chairman of Microsoft; founder and co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation


Bill Gates came from a family of entrepreneurship and high-spirited liveliness. William Henry Gates III was born in Seattle, Washington on October 28th, 1955. His father, William H. Gates II, is a Seattle attorney. His late mother, Mary Gates, was a schoolteacher, University of Washington regent, and chairwoman of United Way International.

William (Bill) H. Gates was chairman of Microsoft Corporation, the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. Microsoft had revenues of US$55.12 billion for the fiscal year ending June 2007, and employs more than 78,000 people in 105 countries and
regions.

On June 15, 2006, Microsoft announced that effective July 2008 Gates will transition out of a day-to-day role in the company to spend more time on his global health and education work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. After July 2008 Gates will continue to serve as Microsoft’s chairman and an advisor on key development projects. The two-year transition process is to ensure that there is a smooth and orderly transfer of Gates’ daily responsibilities. Effective June 2006, Ray Ozzie has assumed Gates’ previous title as chief software architect and is working side by side with Gates on all technical architecture and product oversight responsibilities at Microsoft. Craig Mundie has assumed the new title of chief research and strategy officer at Microsoft and is working closely with Gates to assume his responsibility for the company’s research and incubation efforts.

Born on Oct. 28, 1955, Gates grew up in Seattle with his two sisters. Their father, William H. Gates II, is a Seattle attorney. Their late mother, Mary Gates, was a schoolteacher, University of Washington regent, and chairwoman of United Way International.

Gates attended public elementary school and the private Lakeside School. There, he discovered his interest in software and began programming computers at age 13.

In 1973, Gates entered Harvard University as a freshman, where he lived down the hall from Steve Ballmer, now Microsoft’s chief executive officer. While at Harvard, Gates developed a version of the programming language BASIC for the first microcomputer - the MITS Altair.

In his junior year, Gates left Harvard to devote his energies to Microsoft, a company he had begun in 1975 with his childhood friend Paul Allen. Guided by a belief that the computer would be a valuable tool on every office desktop and in every home, they began developing software for personal computers. Gates’ foresight and his vision for personal computing have been central to the success of Microsoft and the software industry.

Under Gates’ leadership, Microsoft’s mission has been to continually advance and improve software technology, and to make it easier, more cost-effective and more enjoyable for people to use computers. The company is committed to a long-term view, reflected in its investment of approximately $7.1 billion on research and development in the 2007 fiscal year.

In 1999, Gates wrote Business @ the Speed of Thought, a book that shows how computer technology can solve business problems in fundamentally new ways. The book was published in 25 languages and is available in more than 60 countries. Business @ the Speed of Thought has received wide critical acclaim, and was listed on the best-seller lists of the New York Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal and Amazon.com. Gates’ previous book, The Road Ahead, published in 1995, held the No. 1 spot on the New York Times’ bestseller list for seven weeks. Top row: Steve Wood (left), Bob Wallace, Jim Lane. Middle row: Bob O’Rear, Bob Greenberg, Marc McDonald, Gordon Letwin. Bottom row: Bill Gates, Andrea Lewis, Marla Wood, Paul Allen. December 7, 1978. Top row: Steve Wood (left), Bob Wallace, Jim Lane. Middle row: Bob O’Rear, Bob Greenberg, Marc McDonald, Gordon Letwin. Bottom row: Bill Gates, Andrea Lewis, Marla Wood, Paul Allen. December 7, 1978.

Gates has donated the proceeds of both books to non-profit organizations that support the use of technology in education and skills development.

In addition to his love of computers and software, Gates founded Corbis, which is developing one of the world’s largest resources of visual information - a comprehensive digital archive of art and photography from public and private collections around the globe. He is also a member of the board of directors of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., which invests in companies engaged in diverse business activities.

Philanthropy is also important to Gates. He and his wife, Melinda, have endowed a foundation with more than $28.8 billion (as of January 2005) to support philanthropic initiatives in the areas of global health and learning, with the hope that in the 21st century, advances in these critical areas will be available for all people. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has committed more than $3.6 billion to organizations working in global health; more than $2 billion to improve learning opportunities, including the Gates Library Initiative to bring computers, Internet Access and training to public libraries in low-income communities in the United States and Canada; more than $477 million to community projects in the Pacific Northwest; and more than $488 million to special projects and annual giving campaigns.

Gates was married on Jan. 1, 1994, to Melinda French Gates. They have three children. Gates is an avid reader, and enjoys playing golf and bridge.

Bill Gates & Microsoft

In 1975, before graduation Gates left Harvard to form Microsoft with his childhood friend Paul Allen. The pair planned to develop software for the newly emerging personal computer market.

Bill Gate's company Microsoft became famous for their computer operating systems and killer business deals. For example, Bill Gates talked IBM into letting Microsoft retain the licensing rights to MS-DOS an operating system, that IBM needed for their new personal computer. Gates proceeded to make a fortune from the
licensing of MS-DOS.

On November 10, 1983, at the Plaza Hotel in New York City, Microsoft Corporation formally announced Microsoft Windows, a next-generation operating system.

On January 1, 1994, Bill Gates married Melinda French Gates. They have three children.


MS DOS The Operating System History

From a Quick and Dirty Operating System a giant walks (ms-dos), in 1980, IBM first approached Bill Gates and Microsoft, to discuss the state of home computers and Microsoft products.

Top Books on Bill Gates

Authorized and unauthorized books on Bill Gates, Microsoft Chairman and the youngest self-made billionaire in history.

Shiv Nadar

Early Life
Shiv Nadar was born in 1946 in the former Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. He graduated from PSG College of Technology in 1968 and moved to Delhi, where he took up a job with DCM's calculator division.

Career
Teaming up with five other entrepreneurs, Shiv Nadar formed Microcomp, a company that sold teledigital calculators in India. Later, he founded HCL in 1976, with a modest investment of 1,87,000 Rs, which was contributed by 6 founders. The companies prospects in the micro computer business grew strong when companies like IBM had to leave the country due to unfavorable policies adopted by the government. By 1980, the company had ventured into the international IT hardware market by opening Far East Computers in Singapore.

In order to address the rapidly rising demand for computer education, Nadar invested in NIIT in 1981. He maintained no managerial rights over the company, but was its largest shareholder.

By 1984, the companies attention was on designing micro computers and writing custom applications for clients on these systems. With the liberalization of regulations for importing technology, HCL found an opportunity to enter the personal computers solutions and UNIX platform based solutions scenario.

Through 1984, the company focused on designing microcomputers and writing custom applications for clients on these systems. When the Indian government liberalized regulations for import of technology, the computer market was in effect opened for adopting new global technologies. HCL utilized the opportunity to develop Personal computers solutions (called Busybee) and UNIX platform based solutions. The company also opened a successful office solutions subsidiary called HCL office Automation. By 1987, HCL's revenues were around Rs 100 crores and it featured as the numero uno company of India.

HCL America was setup in 1989, but was not very successful. With the ushering in of the economic reforms and foreign players, HCL joined HP and established the joint venture called HCL HP Limited, which provided solutions for local computing market and gave HCL its first experience in outsourced R&D. By the mid 90s, Shiv Nadar had secured rights to distribute Ericsson and Nokia products in India.

By 1995 Nadar had decided to shift companies focus on global IT services, and formed HCL Consulting for this purpose. It was renamed HCL Technologies in 1996 when the joint venture with HP was terminated.

Nadar took HCL Technologies public in 1999. When its IPO took place, HCL was the second biggest IT company. HCL completely shifted its focus towards R&D services to product engineering companies.

After some strategic acquisitions in 2001, HCL consolidated its number of companies from five to two in 2004, which were, HCL Technologies and HCL Infosystems.

In 2007, Shiv passed the mantle of CEO of HCL Technologies to Vineet Nayar. Shiv remains Chairman of HCL Technologies and it's largest shareholder.


Education and Healthcare

Nadar founded an engineering college in Chennai in 1996, and named it after his father. HE joined the executive board of Indian School of Business in 2005. In 2008, his SNN Trust initiated the setting up of seven Vidyagyan schools for students in UP for rural students.

He is also a member of the the Governing board of Public Health Foundation of India.

Recent Accolades
Shiv Nadar was awarded with the Padma Bhushan in 2008, in recognition for his contributions to the Indian IT industry.
The year before that. He was awarded an honorary doctorate degree by the Madras University for his efforts in promoting software technology. The same year. He was also named E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year 2007.

Henry Ford

Early Life

Henry Ford was born on 30th July, 1863 on a farm, to a family of six, in Michigan. When he was about ten, Henry saw a steam engine mounted on wheels. It was the first engine driven machine he ever saw, and his fascination with locomotives born right then, would drive him through a lifetime of innovation in the automotive field. At 16, he headed for Detroit, where he began work as an apprentice machinist.



Career

Ford returned to the farm in 1882, and having exhibited great acumen with portable steam engines, got employed by Westinghouse Company to service their engines. By 1891, Ford became an engineer, working with Edison Illuminating Company. He gained a quick promotion and thus, found enough time and money to indulge in experiments with gasoline engines. By the age of 33, he had designed a gasoline engine propelled vehicle, called the Quadricycle.

Ford collected interested investors and formed a company called Detroit Automobile Company. But his lack of interest in actually marketing the cars, instead of constantly improving them and racing against rival companies, led to bankruptcy of the companies bankruptcy. The investors, looking for profitability, hired Henry M Leland to get a production model released. Following this, Ford resigned and the company was rechristened Cadillac Automobile Company.

With the co-operation of new investors, Ford started another venture called Ford Motor Company in 1903. The company produced a newly designed car which recorded a land speed record, becoming the fastest car of its time. With fan fare and smart publicity, the car soon became well known all around America. In a few years, Ford developed another car called Model T. This car, with advanced features for its time, and a relatively more economic price tag, gained massive popularity, and went on to sell over 15 million units. It was said to have revolutionized automobile transportation.

Besides improving the desirable features of the car, Ford focused on smart marketing and publicity. He brought the concept of owning and driving an automobile to vast masses of America. Through his franchise car dealerships spread all over America, he was able reach a massive chunk of the population. In 1913, Ford introduced the assembly line system in his production facilities and further cut costs. Later on, this mode of production would catch onto several industries. Even as the price of the car was dropped to less than half of its original by 1916, the company was still making enormous profits due to cost cutting improvements each year. By 1918, with sales of about half a million units, half the cars in America were Model Ts. By late 1920, though competition was beginning to engulf an ever rising market share, Henry had sold a record number of cars, and would hold that record for almost half a century.

Next, in 1926, Henry created the Model A Ford, which was again, a marvel for its time. The model went through continuous revisions for over four years, when its production finally came to a halt in 1931. Thereafter, the company followed a policy of annual model change. Henry also started a credit company for people to gain finance, which would help sell further more units of his cars. By early 30s, a third of the worlds vehicles were Fords.

Ford harbored a passion for racing, specially with his Model Ts, stripped down for better power/weight ration. For his records in the automotive field and racing, Henry Ford has been honored with an induction in the American Motorsports Hall of Fame.

During WW I, Ford diverted attention to developing Liberty airplane engines. He bought the Stout Metal Airplane Company. Fords most successful airplane was the 12 seater Ford 4AT Trimotor, the first successful US passenger airplane.

Vijay Mallya

Background

Dr Vijay Mallya is an Indian businessman and Rajya Sabha MP. The chairman of the United Breweries Group and Kingfisher Airlines, Mr Mallya holds diverse interests and is famous for his flamboyant and flashy lifestyle. He is the son of notable industrialist Vittal Mallya and after completing his schooling and college in Kolkata, Mallya went on to receive an honorary Doctorate in Business Administration from California.


The UB Group

Dr Mallya began his career by training with some of the best global corporations in United States and England. Later, in the early 80s, he returned to India to assume major responsibilities with the UB Group, where his father, Mr Vittal Mallya, was the serving as the Chairman. In 1983, he became the chairman of the UB Group.

Dr Mallya immediately directed the company's focus towards defining a corporate framework that would involve greater performance accountability, inducting professional management and segregating the chaotic empire into individual operating divisions.

Judging the situation during the onset of the liberalization policies in 1990, Dr Mallya directed his company to sacrifice interests in business that were dependent upon fiscal tariff protection and to secure strongholds over globally competitive businesses that were concurrent with the core competence of the group.

Under his dynamic leadership, the group has grown into a multi national conglomerate of over 60 companies with an annual turnover that continues to increase many fold and diverse interests ranging from spirits (beverages), engineering, chemicals, IT, agriculture, and leisure. It is the third largest spirit marketer in the world with sales reaching 60 million cases.


Kingfisher Airlines

Dr Mallya established Kingfisher Airlines in 2005. He has taken care to maintain standards that the UB Group always abides by, and the Airline, bestowed with various accolades, enjoys the status of being one of India's finest experiences in the Indian sky. It is the first Indian airline to operate with a brand new fleet of aircrafts and the first one to order an Airbus 380.

Operating on a strategy to expand the market, Dr Mallya's Kingfisher picked up a 26% controlling stake in the Air Deccan. With this merger, the airline now offers services in all segments of air travel, low fares as well as premium fare.


Epic Aircraft

Eying a tremendous scope in the Indian market for small business jets, Dr Mallya has acquired half the equity of a US based jet manufacturer, Epic Aircraft, for 120 million dollars that he paid for in personal capacity. He further plans to invest in resorts in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands and the small jets would be ideal for ferrying customers to and from these islands.


Other interests

Dr Mallya is also the owner of an F1 team, Force India and has shown interest in promoting an Indian Grand Prix, a Formula 1 race in India, possibly in Greater Noida, and an F1 street race in New Delhi.

The United Breweries sponsor two football clubs in Kolkata and The Royal Challengers Bangalore IPL cricket team.
Working on his belief in charity, Mallya has been actively supporting various charities in several countries. Some of his notable achievements towards this objective have been establishing The Mallya Hospital, The Mallya-Aditi School and t

Adi Godrej

Achievements: Chairman of Godrej Group

Adi Godrej is one of the icons of Indian Industry. He is the chairman of Godrej Group. .Adi Godrej was born in a business family. His father's name was Burjorji Godrej and his mother's name was Jai Godrej. More than a century age, the Godrej's were into manufacturing locks and vegetable-based soaps. The Godrej products were among the first indigenously manufactured products to displace entrenched foreign brands.

Adi Godrej left India at the age of 17 to enroll at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Though he planned to study mechanical engineering but he later on switched to management. After his return to India, Adi Godrej joined the family business. He modernized and systematized management structures and implemented process improvements. Adi Godrej took the Godrej Group to great height during controlled economy era.

After the liberalization process, Adi Godrej restructured company's policies to meet the challenges of globalisation. In the early 2000s, the Group completed a 10-year restructuring process through which each business became a stand-alone company with a CEO/COO from outside the Godrej family.

Under Adi Godrej's leadership, the group is also involved in philanthropic activities. Godrej is major supporter of the World Wildlife Fund in India, it has developed a green business campus in the Vikhroli township of Mumbai, which includes a 150-acre mangrove forest and a school for the children of company employees.

Aditya Birla

Aditya Birla (1944-1995) was a renowned Indian industrialist and former Chairman of one of India's biggest multinational corporations- the Aditya Birla Group. Aditya Vikram Birla was born into the formidable business family of the Birlas, and is the grandson of the legendary G.D. Birla, who was one of India's most outstanding industrialists and founder of the vast Birla industrial empire. Besides being a successful business tycoon, he also led a well-balanced family-life, along with his wife, son Kumarmangalam, the present Chairman, and a daughter.

Aditya Birla completed his formal education, graduating in science from St Xavier's College, Calcutta, and then earning a degree in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston. On returning back to India in 1965, Aditya entered the world of business and industry, with most of his ventures leading either to successful expansions or profitable turnovers. His maiden venture was the establishment of the Eastern Spinning Mills in Calcutta. It put the sinking rayon and textile business back on track and registered handsome profits. His next few ventures saw his success in the expansion of Hindustan Gas and the magnificent conversion of the sick Indo-Gulf Fertilisers and Chemicals Ltd, with liquidity and managerial crisis, into a booming blue-chip company. He then went on to have a series of industrial and business successes over the years, however, after his grandfather's death in 1983, he had to play a bigger role. Over the next 12 years, Aditya Birla expanded the Birla Empire making it one of India's largest business conglomerates and himself becoming one of India's foremost businessmen. His overseas joint industrial ventures in Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia reaped immense gains, being the largest multinational company set up by a resident Indian industrialist. He has even held the post of director of the Central Bank of India and Air India.

With its dominion spreading across India and south-east Asia, Aditya Birla's industries were involved in manufacturing of textiles, chemicals, engineering goods, fertilisers, and palm oil. Amongst his manufacturing houses in India, Hindalco (being amongst the largest low-cost producers of aluminium in the world) and Grasim (the largest producer of viscose staple fibre), shine greatly, reflecting the sheer brilliance of this industrial wizard. A thoroughbred businessman and industrialist, Aditya Birla's determination and innovative theories carved a niche for India, putting her on the world map amongst the world's largest companies. He has also been instrumental with his advice on market reform policies to the Indian Government and is well known for his inspirational speeches that not only motivated but proved effective as well.

Aditya Birla passed away suddenly, aged 51, in Baltimore on 1st October, 1995, owing to prostrate cancer. For his immense contributions, he was declared as 'Business Man of the Year' in 1990. Not many know that Aditya was himself an accomplished artist, in memory of him, the Aditya Vikram Birla Kalashikar Puraskar is awarded to painters and sculptors. He would always be remembered for creating India's first global corporation

BUSINESS TYCOON ANIL AMBANI

Born: June 4, 1959
Achievement: Chairman of Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group; Chosen as the 'CEO of the Year 2004' in the Platts Global Energy Awards and MTV Youth Icon of the Year' in September 2003

Anil Ambani is one of the foremost entrepreneurs of Independent India. He is the Chairman of Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. Earlier, before the split in the Reliance Group, Anil Ambani held the post of Vice Chairman and Managing Director in Reliance Industries Limited (RIL).

Born on June 4, 1959, Anil Ambani did his Bachelors in Science from the University of Bombay and Masters in Business Administration The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Anil Ambani joined Reliance in 1983 as Co-Chief Executive Officer. He pioneered India Inc's forays into overseas capital markets with international public offerings of global depository receipts, convertibles and bonds. Starting from 1991, he led Reliance in its efforts to raise, around US$2 billion from overseas financial markets. In January 1997, the 100-year Yankee bond issue was launched under his stewardship.

After the split in Reliance Group, Anil Ambani founded Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. He is the Chairman of all listed Group companies, which include: Reliance Communications, Reliance Capital, Reliance Energy and Reliance Natural Resources Limited.

Anil Ambai was elected as an independent member Rajya Sabha MP in June 2004. But he resigned voluntarily on March 25, 2006.

Anil Ambani has won several awards and honours. Major among these include: 'CEO of the Year 2004' in the Platts Global Energy Awards, 'MTV Youth Icon of the Year' in September 2003, 'The Entrepreneur of the Decade Award' by the Bombay Management Association, and 'Businessman of the Year Award' by leading Business Magazine, Business India in 1997.

FAMOUS TYCOON AZIM PREMJI

Azim Premji Profile




Born: July 24, 1945
Achievements: Chairman of Wipro Technologies; Richest Indian for the past several years; Honored with Padma Bhushan in 2005.

Azim Premji is Chairman of Wipro Technologies, one of the largest software companies in India. He is an icon among Indian businessmen and his success story is a source of inspiration to a number of budding entrepreneurs.

Born on July 24, 1945, Azim Hashim Premji was studying Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, USA when due to the sudden demise of his father, he was called upon to handle the family business. Azim Premji took over the reins of family business in 1966 at the age of 21.

At the first annual general meeting of the company attended by Azeem Premji, a shareholder doubted Premji's ability to handle business at such a young age and publicly advised him to sell his shareholding and give it to a more mature management. This spurred Azim Premji and made him all the more determined to make Wipro a success story. And the rest is history.

When Azim Premji occupied the hot seat, Wipro dealt in hydrogenated cooking fats and later diversified to bakery fats, ethnic ingredient based toiletries, hair care soaps, baby toiletries, lighting products and hydraulic cylinders. Thereafter Premji made a focused shift from soaps to software.

Under Azim Premji's leadership Wipro has metamorphosed from a Rs.70 million company in hydrogenated cooking fats to a pioneer in providing integrated business, technology and process solutions on a global delivery platform. Today, Wipro Technologies is the largest independent R&D service provider in the world.

Azim Premji has several achievements to his credit. In 2000, Asiaweek magazine, voted Premji among the 20 most powerful men in the world. Azim Premji was among the 50 richest people in the world from 2001 to 2003 listed by Forbes. In April 2004, Times Magazine, rated him among the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine. He is also the richest Indian for the past several years. In 2005,Government of India honored Azim Premji with Padma Bhushan.